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Mykonos: The unforgettable dream.

As the plane starts making its descend, I had an unfamiliar feeling of rush coming over me. It was like a mixture of bewilderment, excitement, and ‘is this for real??’ all in one. Now, I’ve never watched Meryl Streep’s Mama Mia, so the movie that came to mind for me was Tobey Maguire’s Pleasantville. It was as if we just entered a different time warp or reality. That was the effect that I got as I closed in on so many igloo-like buildings that was almost all white! They had some blue doors and windows, but the whole town seemed dream like. How can every building structure be so similar and colour coordinated? Were they built by the same person, or did the town leader restricts everything to the same colour and design scheme? Regretfully, I never got a proper answer to these questions. I did, however, feel an immediate sense of envy for the local paint supplier.

Fortunately for us, the quirkiness of the town didn’t entirely stop there. The local maps had no road names!! The street signs, as well as the map, only indicates directions for places. Totally trippy. There wasn’t a lot of public transport, and we had to hire a car. So I ended up being deer o n headlights, inside the car! Yes, of course we got lost. Multiple times. But, we didn’t care much, as we got to see a lot more. My driving became aimless, the only concern being that I need to stay on the ‘right’ side of the road. One of our got-lost sessions took us to a charming little restaurant called Bellagio. Apparently, it was a pretty new establishment. The cuisine was high end, with service and ambiance giving more of a family feel to it. The owner was this gorgeous Jesus-looking, smiley guy. My Boss was enchanted by him. He was really friendly, and laughed at our stupidity on getting lost. As we had an exceptional meal, and he even offered to drive us back to the hotel, I decided to let The Boss ogle away at him.

Other quirks includes:

– There’s a spot along the beach line, where its marked with Pelicans. Weird? We passed by it, and there really were pelicans on the beach. Parked alongside a group of local fishermen. And apparently, these pelicans are there, everyday, at the same exact spot.

– Seems like this little town knows each other. How cool is that?

– Reportedly the whole island has a population of 4, 000 people. This number grows to 23, 000 in the summer, as tourists (Greek, as well as from other countries) flock to the Greek islands for a sunbathing holiday. We were there in Spring.

The cream of the crop for us was Tasos. Tasos was the hotel manager at Rocabella Mykonos, the place that we book ourselves into. As beautiful as this island was, I don’t think we would’ve been so fond of it with the absence of Tasos. He met us at the airport, and greeted us with a mouth full of teeth, and eyes so warm, that felt like we’ve known him for 20 years. The hotel was gorgeous, and he made us felt really welcomed. Not only did he suggest and arranged for us to get a rental, but he also got it at a discount and upgraded to a BMW X5. All we really needed was a standard hatch back.

Tasos’ service was exceptional. Upon knowing we were honeymooners, he upgraded us to the honeymoon suite in an instant. After champagne and twisting the local map multiple times, we were brought to our beautiful room. Fruits fondue awaited us in our 270 degrees sea view honeymoon suite, and amazing, but not surprisingly, these beautiful buildings has white insides as well.

The sweet Tasos repeatedly told us to let him know 30 minutes early, if we wanted to use the Jacuzzi. But, on our return from Bellagio, we found the Jacuzzi running and hot, and our cold bodies was yayying with joy. Of course this was followed with Tasos knocking on our door with a tray of tea and delicious cookies. He did the same thing when we woke up the next day, whilst telling us what was in store for breakfast.

It was such a shame that we were only there for a night. Not cause the laundry was so cheap, and we should’ve brought all our dirty clothes. But, because in a 5 weeks European honeymoon, Tasos and Mykonos stuck out in our memories like a giant sore thumb. We hope we can go back and visit this sweet man. And bring our kids along with us, to introduce them to a family member in Mykonos. And that is how we felt about Tasos. He was a family that we never knew we had, on an island that was eerily fascinating as they come.

For now, all we can do is pray every night. Praying that we can dream of being in Mykonos again. To see the smile of a Man that we will never forget, for a very long time.